Balmorhea Histroical Doc
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Transcript of Balmorhea Histroical Doc
A Personal Storyof
John Dunbar SellersFebruary 22, 1908 – May 28, 1941
Born in Teague, TexasGraduated Texas A&M 1931
Started Civilian Conservation Corpsduty August 22, 1935 in Balmorhea, Texas
Commander of CCC Company 1856
Constructed the world’s largest swimming pool
of 77,000 square feet, flowing 22,000 gallons per day
This is the World’s Largest Swimming PoolBuilt by the CCC in 1935-36, still in use today
A Texas State Park - San Soloman Springs - Balmorhea Texas
This is a short story about my dad, John Dunbar Sellers, and my mother, Louise Woerner Sellers.
Mom and Dad had been married only a little more than five years when Dad died on May 28, 1941.
My sister was born on December 14, 1939. I came along on August 30, 1941, so neither my sister nor I have any memories of our dad except that which we have been able to glean from old photos, documents and other memorabilia, and what we
have been told by Mom and others who knew him.
Mom was born on July 24, 1912, in Dallas, to what might be called a middle-income family. She was a good student and would have
gone to college, but the depression denied the money for that. After all, at that time, women didn’t need to go to college – right?
J.D., as Dad was called, was born on February 22, 1908, to a poor but God-fearing family in East Texas. We don’t know a lot about his early years except that he was hard-working and also a good student. Dad worked his way through Texas A&M University,
graduating in 1931.
After graduating from A&M, Dad stayed in the Army Reserves and, with his Dairy Husbandry degree, went to work for Borden
Milk Company in Dallas. It was in Dallas that Mom and Dad met and dated.
Dad was a first lieutenant when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) called him to serve. The decision to go was not a difficult
one for him to make, even though it meant a two-year commitment and would require that he be stationed somewhere in West Texas or Eastern New Mexico. His pay would be a generous $200 a month.
In February of 1940, Dad made captain, and on March 20, 1941, hereceived his orders to report for active duty in the regular army. Dad was due to report on April 2, 1941. This was one order he
could not obey; he died 50 days later.
The illustrations I have put together show the state park built by the CCC, as well as Dad and Mom’s first two years together in
Balmorhea.
In case you don’t know where Balmorhea is, you’ll find it just south of I-10 between Ft. Stockton and Ft. Davis.
Balmorhea State Park
Before 1887, the San Solomon Springs of Balmorhea State Parkwere known as the Mescalero Springs. This was Apache country.
The U.S. Army’s roll in the CCC was to provide officers to command the civilian personnel. These commanders provided administration, supplies, medical
care, education, and welfare to the civilian workers, or “enrollees,” as they were called.
Company 1856 Staff
Lt. J.D. Sellers, C.O. -- Dr. Kelley, Phys. -- Mr. Gross, Educ. Adv. -- Mr. Trigg, Const. Supt.
As Commanding Officer, J.D. was in charge of all personnel, as well as all of their activities. He supervised payroll for the enrollees. The “boys” made about $30 a month, part of which wentback home to their families.
Even the boys’ personal problems had to be addressed:
Mr. Grady Gross - Educational AdvisorEducation of the CCC personnel was a high priority at many camps.
The camp library wasn’t fancy, but it did have over 400 books.
Enrollees took correspondence courses and received vocationaltraining in a variety of subjects.
J.D. at work in his “corner office with a window and central heat.”After all, rank has its privileges.
View of the pool under construction, January 9, 1936, from the shallow end toward the circular area.
30,000 square feet of hand-cut limestone was used to build the pool.Lt. Sellers is standing on the wall of the pool to the right,
still wearing his Aggie boots.
Construction photo taken the same day with an opposite view, from the circle to the shallow end.
The deep and natural part of the springs is visible in the foreground.The barracks and the Davis Mountains are in the background.
The pool was completed in a little over two years.
Life was not just work for the boys.Baseball games were held with other CCC camps.
Dances were organized several times a year.
Some participated with the local citizens in other activities.
They even receivedsome special Christmas
treats.
When was the last time yourChristmas dinner menu included
ice water and cigarettes?
Pool at its grand opening June 26-27, 1936.The circle is 200 feet in diameter, and each leg is 343 feet long.
Posters announcing the openingwere distributed all over West
Texas and Eastern New Mexico.
The speed boat races, bathing girl review, swimming races, baseball game, fancy diving, and barbecue were all free.
There was a $1.00 admissionfor the dances.
The pool opening was the biggest event in Balmorhea history,
before or since.
The barbecue pit was 20 feet long and 3 feet wide. The beef, pork, and
lamb, donated by local ranchers, were cooked on iron wagon wheels.
2,000 people attended the grand opening.The cottages referred to above, 18 total, are still in use today.
Adobe brick for Caretaker’s House:“One of the finest homes in Madera Valley.”
Brick-making on fast track for cottages.
View from the 25-foot deep end up to the circle.The pool contains over 3-1/2 million gallons of spring water.
View from the shallow end to the circle.Some trees have been planted, and the lawn is being watered.
Clear artesian springs with fish, turtles, etc. Approximately 50% of the pool is 25 feet deep. People come from all
over to get their scuba diving certifications here.
A finger over the lens hides some of the shelter at the end of the circle. The limestone walkways are now covered in concrete.
First Lt. J.D. Sellers was unmarried when he came to Balmorhea in August 1935.
He proposed to Louise Woerner on Thanksgiving Day of 1935.
His long distance phone proposal was “witnessed” by the Balmorhea phone operator. Phone service was not very extensive or private in 1935. Louise’s phone number in Dallas was 3-8056, and J.D.’s
in Balmorhea was three rings at the camp office.
J.D. and Louise were married on February 22, 1936.
After a one-night honeymoon at the Texas Hotel in Ft. Worth, the couple came to Balmorhea to start their married life.
Their home was a four-room adobe house that they shared with theirlandlady. There were no indoor plumbing, bathroom, or kitchen, and
they had only a wood stove for heat.
Occasionally, the irrigation gates were opened and the yard would be flooded, covering stepping stones to the “facility” out back.
Quite an adjustment for a young city girl to make.
The following are some photos of J.D. and Louise’s first two years of marriage in Balmorhea:
Things were not very expensive in 1936but at $4.00 for the night this was obviously not the honeymoon suite.
Maybe these were weekend rates.
We are not sure, but we believe this to be their house 67 years later.The irrigation ditch is visible in front.
Taking a horse ride in July 1937 while visiting a neighboring “small” ranch -- only about 20 sections.
The CCC boys also built some of the furniture for the Indian Lodgelocated near Ft. Davis and McDonald Observatory.
Balmorhea State Park is just one of 32 state parks built in Texas by the CCC that are still in operation today. With its 18 adobe-walled cottages and 34 camp sites, this park is truly an Oasis in the Desert. These facilities have provided fun and recreation for many millions of people for over
six generations and will continue to provide the same for many generations to come.
Note:
All of the black and white photos seen here were either taken personally by J.D. and Louise, or they were pictures that Louise had saved. The older photos were taken during the depression years, and becausephotography was expensive, photos were only taken on special occasions. The quality of the photos leaves something to be desired, but they do tell a story. The color photos were taken in August of 2004 when Louise went back to Balmorhea. This was her first visit since she and J.D. had left in 1937.
The excerpts from newspaper articles were taken from some of the items that Louise has saved over the years. They make interesting reading, for they give some idea of what life was like at that time.
The family of Captain J. D. Sellers, deceased, provided this story and all photos and articles.
September 2004.